The Trip
by Broadwaylover5300
Summary: Hairspray fic. Corny and Amber leave on a trip to New York city that quickly becomes one nightmarish experience after another.
1. The Flight

**Hi! This is a new story I'm starting. I saw the 1970 version of the movie The Out of Towners and was inspired to write this story.**

**BTW, just a quick sidenote: this story takes place about five years after the events of the movie, which would place this story in about 1968. I don't know why I mentioned that, I just felt that I should.**

Corny Collins barreled into his apartment with Amber Von Tussle right behind him. All was right with the world. He had asked Amber to marry him a month before, and she had accepted. The ratings on the show were higher than they had been in a long, long time. And, to cap it all off, Corny had gotten a letter in the mail that had the potential to change his whole life.

Corny ran to his small desk and picked up the letter opener. He hurriedly opened the envelope and took out the sheet of paper that was inside. Before reading it, he looked up and smiled at Amber.

"You know, baby, what's printed on this paper could change our lives," he said.

Amber smiled. "I know," she replied.

Corny grinned as he held the letter in his hands. "I'm almost too nervous to read it," he said.

Amber said warmly, "Well, are we just gonna stand here while you hold the letter? Let's read it, we can't just stand here all day!"

Corny nodded and unfolded the letter, his hands shaking as he did so. He read the letter silently too himself, getting more and more excited with every line. When he was finished, he looked up at Amber.

"I've got it! I've really got it! I'm gonna get that job hosting that new dance show out of New York!" Corny exclaimed.

"Oh, baby, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" Amber replied joyfully.

"All I need to do is be in New York City at nine'o clock this Saturday morning to have an interview with the head of the station!" Corny cried. Suddenly, he looked up from the letter at Amber.

"Amber, why don't you come with me? It'll be a lot more fun if you came along."

Amber didn't even have to think about it. She smiled and nodded.

The rest of that week was a blur, a blur that ended on Friday afternoon when they arrived at the airport. Amber was amused by the huge amount of energy that Corny had, bounding around like a high school track star who'd had about ten too many cups of coffee. After picking up their tickets at the desk, they went to check in their luggage.

Amber, having heard horror stories about lost luggage, decided to hold on to her suitcase, a small gray American Tourister. The baggage handler, after taking Corny's large brown suitcase, beckoned at Amber's suitcase and said, "May I take your bag, ma'am?"

"Oh, no, I'll hold on to it," Amber replied, only to have Corny tell her, "Oh, no, just give it to the handler, that's his job. Don't worry about the luggage!"

"I wasn't worried about the luggage," Amber lied, trying to sound confident.

As they both walked to the boarding gate, Corny told Amber, "Don't eat anything on the plane. Tonight, I'm taking you to the Tavern on the Green, which may be one of the finest restaurants in the nation, and I don't want to spoil it with airline food."

Amber nodded as they hurried onto the plane.

The flight was pretty uneventful, the only thing that really happened was when Corny turned down the chicken dinner offered because, in Corny's own words, he "didn't want to spoil one of the finest dining experiences in the world with some undercooked chicken left over from the last flight."

Not long after Corny had turned down the dinner, the no smoking sign clicked on, and the stewardess' voice came over the speaker, saying, "The pilot has turned on the non-smoking sign. Please fasten your seat belts and fasten your seats in the upright position. We should be landing in about fifteen to twenty minutes."

Corny checked his watch. "Five minutes early! That's not bad at all!" he said as he looked out the window that was right next to him. He beckoned to Amber. "Baby, come here, look at this," he said. Amber complied by leaning over and looking out the window at the endless urban sprawl that was New York.

"Is that a beautiful city or is that a beautiful city?" Corny asked excitedly.

"Oh, that's a beautiful city," Amber agreed as she stared out the window.

"Oh, by the way, did I tell you the full plan for tonight?" Corny asked as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

"No, you didn't," Amber replied as she sat back and Corny unfolded the paper.

"Well, let me tell you about it. 7:00, arrive at Kennedy airport. 7:45, arrive at our beautiful, all paid-for suite at the world-famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. 8:30, flaming dinner at the beautiful Tavern on the Green, followed by a midnight dance in the Empire room." Corny's voice got lower and took on a more romantic tone as he said, "Then, we'll take a swift elevator ride up to our perfume-scented bedroom, where you'll experience some of the best love-making that any out-of-town woman has ever experienced. How does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful," Amber replied as she kissed him softly on the lips.

Suddenly, the pilot's voice came over the speaker. "Attention, this is the pilot speaking. It seems that there's a traffic problem at Kennedy airport, fifteen planes in a holding pattern before us. We're gonna have to hold up here and circle New York until we're allowed to land, I would guess about twenty to thirty minutes."

Corny looked up at the speaker. "He guesses," he said to Amber. "Doesn't he know? He's a pilot, he shouldn't guess," Corny said as he beckoned for the stewardess. The stewardess hurried over.

"Can I help you, sir?" the stewardess asked.

"Yeah, is there any chance that it'll be longer than thirty minutes? My fiancée and I have an 8:30 dinner reservation and we don't want to be late," Corny said.

"Well, I don't guess it'll be more than twenty or thirty minutes," the stewardess replied.

"That's what the pilot said," Corny said.

"Well, his guess is better than mine," the stewardess replied. "Anything else I can do for you, sir?"

Corny shook his head and the stewardess walked away. Corny held his stomach.

"You should have eaten something, Corny," Amber said.

"I know, I know," Corny replied.

"Well, Corny, do you think that I could have a Coke? It won't spoil my dinner," Amber asked.

Corny nodded, got up, and walked toward the stewardess' station at the head of the row. "Excuse me, but could I get a Coke? My fiancée would like one," he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to serve beverages while landing," the stewardess replied.

"But we're not landing, we're circling," Corny said, trying to be polite.

The stewardess sighed, then said, "We're circling _prior_ to landing. Would you like a water instead?"

Corny gave her a look as he said, "But isn't that a beverage?"

The stewardess sighed again as she said, "Why don't you just go back to your seat, sir?"

Corny, grumbling, turned around and went back to his seat.

They had been up for a while when Amber noticed that it was getting very cloudy outside.

Just at that moment, Corny looked at his watch and said, "Okay, it's been over thirty minutes, it's almost been thirty-five minutes. I sure hope he's a better pilot than he is a guesser."

Corny beckoned for the stewardess again, who came over and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, is there anything wrong? It's been over thirty-five minutes now," Corny said.

"I imagine we've run into some bad weather," the stewardess replied.

"You don't have to imagine, just look out the window," Corny said. "Don't you know anything about what's going on?"

"Excuse me," the stewardess said as she turned around and walked toward the cockpit.

"You see?" Corny said. "She's gonna tell the pilot that it's foggy, he didn't notice, he's too busy circling."

Just then, the pilot's voice came over the speaker again. "Folks, this is the pilot again. Unfortunately, it's too foggy and visibility is too limited to attempt a landing, so we're gonna have to sit up here a little longer."

Corny looked at Amber and said, "You hear that? We're gonna sit. We've held, we've circled, now we're gonna sit."

"Might as well relax," a voice came from across the aisle. Amber turned to see the man across the aisle looking at them. "The last time this happened we circled for two and a half hours."

"You mean this has happened to you before?" Corny asked.

The man nodded as he said, "It's either bad weather or it's too crowded or a labor dispute at the control tower. I figure I've spent about two years of my life circling."

Corny looked at Amber and said, "You hear that? That means that at 8:30 tonight we'll be circling over the Tavern on the Green."

"Oh, well, that's all right, Corny. We can eat later," Amber replied.

Grumbling, Corny sat back in his seat.

Amber wasn't sure how long they sat there before Corny asked her, "You know what time it is?"

Amber shook her head, and Corny replied, "Twenty to nine."

"Oh, well, I'm sure it'll clear up soon," Amber replied cheerfully.

"How do you know? This could be the Flying Dutchman. We could spend the rest of our lives just circling over New York," Corny replied.

The pilot's voice came over the speaker again. "This is the pilot again."

Corny glared up at the speaker. "I don't want to hear this."

"Unfortunately, the weather center at Kennedy doesn't see the weather clearing up anytime soon, so it looks like we're gonna have to proceed to Boston. You can smoke again if you like, thank you."

Corny looked at Amber again. "Boston. I'm supposed to be in New York at nine o' clock tomorrow morning, and tonight, I'm going to Boston," he said, right before he sat back in his chair with a glare on his face. Amber was almost afraid to speak to him for the rest of the trip.

**Please review and tell me what you think so far!**

**Oh, and by the way, I'm considering posting the next chapter later on today, so check back later, if you liked this chapter!**


	2. The Train

**I did decide to post the next chapter today, I like the way this story is going so much that I wanted to get back to it!**

The airport in Boston was a madhouse. There were people everywhere, rushing to rent cars, rushing to get their bags, rushing to pay phones, and into this madness came Amber and Corny, walking out of the boarding gate and into the main terminal.

Corny looked at Amber and said, "Why don't you get our bags? I'll see if there's another flight back to New York."

Amber nodded and headed off toward the baggage pick-up area, while Corny headed toward the main desk.

After Corny waited for what seemed like an hour but was really only about ten minutes, he finally got up to one of the clerks. "Is there any flights going to New York tonight?" Corny asked.

"Just a minute, I'll see," the clerk said. The clerk shuffled through some papers, looked at a large board behind him, and said, "No, unfortunately, there's not. Every airport in New York, Kennedy, La Guardia, you name it, they're all closed for the night and they won't be opening again until seven in the morning."

Corny looked shocked. "Well, thank you, anyway," he replied, but as soon as he turned to walk off, a man tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey. You on that New York flight?" the man asked.

"Yeah," Corny replied.

"Well, there's a train leaving for New York from the Boston station in about twenty minutes. If you hurry, you can make it!"

Corny gasped, quickly thanked the man, and turned around, just to bump right smack into Amber, who was standing right behind her.

"Oh, good, you're here! Come on, let's get outside and catch a cab, there's a train leaving for New York in about twenty minutes, and if we hurry, we can catch it!" Corny said hurriedly

"Corny, they've lost our bags," Amber replied.

"No time to talk now, Amber, we've gotta catch a-" Corny stopped, suddenly realizing what Amber had said. "They've what?"

"I said they've lost our bags. I stood there until all the bags were off the plane, and our bags never came off."

"Oh, shit! Well, come on, let's go find them!" Corny said as he grabbed Amber's hand and hurried toward the baggage area.

They got there to find a baggage handler just getting ready to leave the baggage area. "Wait! Don't leave yet!" Corny yelled. The baggage handler stopped and waited as Corny and Amber ran up to him.

"We've lost our bags," Corny said.

"A large brown one and a small gray one," Amber described them.

"Oh, you don't have to describe them, honey, we have our claim slips," Corny said as he handed them to the baggage handler.

"They didn't come out?" the handler asked.

"No," Amber replied. "I stood here and stood here but they never came out."

"Well, I don't see them," the handler said.

"I know you don't see them!" Corny yelled, losing his temper. "Where do you think they could be?!"

"Well, then, all I can suggest is lost and found," the handler said.

"Well, then, why are you standing here reading our claim slips?" Corny yelled. "All you had to do was say 'all I can suggest is lost and found,' but instead you spend valuable time reading our claim slips! Give me those!" Corny yelled as he snatched the slips from the handler's hand. He took Amber's hand and started running toward the lost and found.

"Corny, he was just helping," Amber said as they ran away.

"He wasn't helping, he was just reading!" Corny yelled.

When they got to the lost and found office, they ran up to the man at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked calmly.

"Yes. We've lost our bags," Corny said as he handed over the claim slips.

"A large brown one and a small gray one," Amber said. Corny looked at her, and Amber smiled back.

The clerk looked at the claim slips. "They didn't come off the plane?" the clerk asked.

Corny gave the man a look, then said, "If they had come off the plane, we wouldn't be here, would we?"

"Well, there's no need to lose your temper, sir," the clerk said.

"Well, do you think that we could get our bags back quickly? We've got a train to catch to New York in about twelve minutes," Corny said, checking his watch.

"Well, sir, I'll tell you what we can do. We can put you up in a hotel in Boston for the night, and the next morning, we'll send you on a flight to New York in the morning. I'm sure we'll have your bags back by then," the clerk replied.

"I can't do that, because I have to be in New York in the morning!" Corny yelled.

"Well, sir, just give me your name and the hotel you'll be staying in, and we'll send the bags to you as soon as we find them," the clerk said calmly.

Corny, trying hard to calm down, said, "Corny Collins, the Waldorf-Astoria hotel."

"All right," the clerk said.

"Thanks," Corny said as he and Amber ran toward the door. He turned around at the door. "You sure you've got the name right?"

"Yes, sir. Collins, Carl Collins."

"CORNY!" Corny yelled. "Corny Collins! You spend time trying to get my name right and then you get my name wrong!" As Amber pulled him through the door, Corny mumbled, "Gonna send my luggage to some nut named Carl Collins, why, I'll…"

Corny and Amber dashed out of the airport and to a cab sitting there. The driver rolled down his window and said, "Where to?"

"Can you get us to the Boston train station in ten minutes?" Corny said, checking his watch.

"The train station? That's a fifteen-minute drive!" the driver said.

"Well, I need to get there in ten minutes!" Corny said.

"How can I get to the train station in ten minutes when it's a fifteen-minute drive?" the driver asked.

"Is it necessary to take two minutes to tell us that you can't get us to the station in ten minutes? Look, just take us to the train station," Corny said, trying not to yell.

"Okay, I'll take you to the train station, but you ain't gonna get there in ten minutes!" the driver said as Corny and Amber got into the car.

As soon as they got there, Corny and Amber dashed out of the car and Corny said to the taxi driver, "How much?"

"Seven dollars," the driver replied, looking at the meter.

Corny pulled out a bill and gave it to the driver.

"This is a twenty-dollar bill!" the driver said.

"Yes, I know. Can I have my change, please?" Corny said, trying to be polite.

"I can't change a twenty-dollar bill, I just got on duty! Don't you have a ten?" the driver asked.

Corny looked at Amber and said, "Do you have a ten?"

"In the small gray suitcase," Amber replied.

Corny groaned and turned back to the driver.

"Well, you'll have to change this inside. I'll wait for you!" the driver said.

"No, just keep the change. Come on, Amber, let's go!" Corny yelled as the two ran inside.

They quickly ran through the station and jumped on a train, only to find it empty, except for an old lady cleaning the train.

"Excuse me, but is this the train going to New York?" Corny asked.

The old lady shook her head. "Nope, that is," she said, pointing out the window at the train leaving the station.

"Oh, no!" Corny yelled. "I didn't see that train, did you see that train?" Corny asked Amber, who shook her head.

"Corny, do you think I could use the ladies' room?" Amber asked.

"Well, where we going? We're in Boston for the night! We missed the train!" Corny replied. Amber walked off the train.

"Well, you know, you can still catch that train," the old lady said, causing Corny to turn around in surprise.

"What?" Corny asked.

"Yeah, there's another station in town, called the Ridgewood. It stops there for twenty minutes for fuel. If you can get there in twenty minutes, you'll make it!" the lady said.

"Why didn't you tell me this before Amber left?" Corny yelled as he ran off the train.

Once Corny found the ladies' room, he banged on the door. "Amber! We can still make the train!" Corny yelled. Getting no response, he called a lady walking by over and asked her, "My fiancée's in there. Would you mind getting her for me?"

The lady agreed and entered the restroom, just as Amber came around the corner. "Oh, Corny! I couldn't find the ladies' room. Oh, here it is!" Amber said as she started to enter it. Corny took her hand and they were both starting to run away when the lady that Corny had sent in came out, tugging some strange woman.

"She didn't want to come out!" the lady said, still tugging the woman's arm.

"Oh, that's all right, I found her," Corny said. "Thanks anyway!" he said as he and Amber ran out of the station.

After catching a cab to the other train station, they finally found the right train and leapt onto it, only to find the train completely packed.

"Excuse me," Corny asked, walking up to the conductor, "Is there any open seats on the train?"

"Oh, no, there's not," the conductor said. "Ordinarily, on a night like this, we would add three more cars onto the train."

"Well, why don't you add three more cars onto the train?" Corny asked.

"Don't have three more cars. Nobody takes the train anymore. Everybody's in a hurry," the conductor said.

"Well, you don't expect us to stand all the way to New York, do you?" Corny asked.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, do you?" the conductor said.

Amber could see that Corny was getting angry, so she kept Corny from saying anything by saying, "Is there a dining car on the train?"

The conductor nodded and pointed further down the train.

Amber and Corny walked further down the train to find themselves in the dining car, which was completely packed. They walked all the way to the back of the line for the dining car, which was in another car.

Once they did eventually get up to the front of the line and got seated across from two men, Corny asked, "Do you know how long we stood in line?"

"An hour," Amber replied.

"That's right, an hour," Corny replied.

Just then, the waiter walked up and served the men two chicken sandwiches. Noticing Amber and Corny, the waiter asked, "Can I help you?"

"Um… what do you have?" Amber asked.

"Just sandwiches tonight," the waiter said.

"Well, two chicken sandwiches, please," Corny replied, beckoning at the two men's sandwiches.

"Sorry, no chicken," the waiter said.

Corny looked at the waiter. "Isn't that chicken?" Corny asked, pointing at the sandwiches.

"Sure, that's chicken. After they eat that, that's the end of the chicken," the waiter said.

"What about ham and cheese?" Amber asked.

"Sorry ma'am, no ham," the waiter said.

"Oh, just cheese," Corny said.

"No cheese, either," the waiter replied.

"Well, what do you have?" Amber asked.

"I've got peanut butter on white bread," the waiter said.

"Well, what else do you have?" Amber asked.

"More peanut butter on white bread," the waiter said.

"Don't you have anything else? My fiancée hates peanut butter and white bread," Amber replied.

"I've got saltine crackers and green olives," the waiter replied.

"All right, I guess Amber will have the peanut butter, right?" Corny asked Amber. Amber nodded. "Yes, she'll have the peanut butter, and I'll have the crackers and olives."

"And we'll have coffee and milk to drink," Amber said politely.

"No coffee, no milk," the waiter replied.

"Oh, no," Corny said.

"I've got tonic water and clam juice, but they ain't cold," the waiter replied.

"Do you want the clam juice?" Amber asked Corny.

"Warm? With crackers and olives?" Corny replied.

"Never mind the drinks, please," Amber told the waiter.

Once the waiter had left, Corny told Amber, "You know, I was going to take you out to one of the best restaurants in the world, and now here you are eating peanut butter on white bread with nothing to drink. If you ever get your mouth open I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again."

"Oh, no!" Amber cried.

"What?" Corny asked.

"I lost my left eyelash."


	3. The City

**Hi! I'm really excited to get back to this ****story,**** I haven't been able to do any writing for a while!**

"Are you sure?" Amber asked as she and Corny stepped off the train and entered Grand Central Station.

"What do you mean, am I sure? Of course I'm sure, I would know if I swallowed an olive pit! With my empty stomach, it's liable to rip right through my insides!" Corny yelled.

"Well, how did you swallow an olive pit?" Amber asked calmly.

"Yawning with my mouth full, that's how!" Corny snapped.

"Well, when you don't eat and you don't sleep, you have to expect accidents like that, Corny," Amber replied.

"Oh, don't lecture me now, Amber. Let's just find a cab and get to the hotel," Corny said. Corny stopped a red-capped baggage handler walking by and asked, "Excuse me, but where's the exit? My fiancée and I need to catch a cab."

"Right through there," the redcap replied, pointing toward the lobby of the station.

Corny and Amber started off toward the lobby, but then, all of a sudden, they heard the redcap say, "You won't find any taxis there, though."

Corny turned around. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"They're on strike," the redcap replied.

"A taxi strike?" Amber asked.

"An everything strike. They're all out, buses, taxis, subways, even the garbage trucks are out," the redcap replied.

"Well, how are people getting around?" Corny asked.

"Well, there's no strike on walkin'," the redcap replied as he turned and starting pushing his cart full of luggage down the train.

"Oh, well, that's just great!" Corny yelled. "Well, come on, Amber."

Corny and Amber burst out the doors of the station, just as the outside burst into rain. Corny just stood there for a second, glaring, as the water dripped and ran down his face.

"Well, maybe it'll stop soon," Amber said, trying to be cheerful.

Corny looked at his watch. "Two-fifteen. I don't think it's gonna stop anytime soon."

"Well, let's walk to the hotel. Where is it?" Amber asked.

"50th and Park," Corny replied. "That's…this way. Come on." He took Amber's hand and started walking down Park Avenue.

Corny and Amber started walking, battling against the torrents of rain beating down on them, huge piles of garbage lining the streets, lights burning dimly in windows.

"Corny, my ankles are starting to give out. Can't we stop for a little while?" Amber asked.

"No, Amber, the sooner we get to the hotel, the less wet we'll be," Corny yelled.

Amber sighed. "Well, where are we now?" she asked.

Corny looked at the street sign. "39th and Park!" he yelled.

"And where's the hotel?"

"50th and Park," Corny replied.

"And Grand Central?"

"42nd street."

"Doesn't that mean we're walking the wrong way, Corny?" Amber asked.

Corny stared at her for a second, then came over and took her hand.

"The last time I was here was three years ago and they used to mark the streets better!" Corny yelled as they ran.

It was a little while before Corny noticed that Amber wasn't with him anymore. He turned around to see Amber staring at an extraordinarily huge pile of garbage.

"What are you stopping for?!" Corny yelled.

"Wow! Look at that!" Amber said, amazed.

Corny ran up to Amber and looked at the pile. "It's garbage! You've seen garbage before!" Corny yelled.

"Oh, not that much in one place!" Amber replied.

"You can look at the garbage later, when we're not standing here in the rain like a couple of slack-jawed idiots! Come on, let's go!" Corny yelled. Corny started off, but stopped when he noticed that Amber still wasn't following him.

"Who's gonna clean all that up?" Amber asked, beckoning at the garbage.

"Will you stop worrying about other people's garbage and come on!?" Corny yelled as he grabbed Amber's hand and pulled her along.

They hadn't walked very far when Amber said, "Corny?"

"What now?" Corny yelled.

"I stepped on a bottle."

"What?"

"I stepped on a bottle, Corny! I think I broke the heel on my shoe!"

"How did you do that?" Corny asked, frustrated.

"By stepping on a bottle and breaking the heel on my shoe, Corny!" Amber replied.

"Well, can you walk?" Corny asked.

"Yes, I can walk, but not fast, I told you my ankles are giving out," Amber replied.

Corny groaned as he pulled Amber along toward the Waldorf.

The walk to the Waldorf-Astoria seemed like it took hours, but Amber knew that it was probably only about twenty minutes. When they got to the hotel, in they walked, two dripping people that looked like tramps or wet dogs or something like that.

As Corny and Amber walked up the stairs, Amber said, "Corny, I'm not one to complain, but my ankles are buckling."

"Clinch your toes when you walk," Corny replied as they walked up to the front desk and stood in front of the desk clerk, a tall, slender man with a long, pointy nose.

"Hi, Corny Collins and Amber Von Tussle from Baltimore, Maryland. We finally got here," Corny said, with a smile on his face.

The clerk just looked at them. "Did you have a reservation, sir?" the clerk asked in a high, nasally voice.

"Yes, made by CBS, Baltimore, Maryland," Corny said calmly.

"Just a moment," the clerk said as he began flipping through a rolodex filled with cards.

"You must be pretty busy, putting people up in the lobby," Amber remarked.

"Oh, it's the least we could do. With this transit strike, most of them have no way to get home, and there's not a room in the city tonight," the clerk replied, still flipping through the cards.

"That's very nice of you," Amber replied.

Just then, the clerk pulled out a card. "Here it is. Corny Collins, correct?""Yes," Corny replied. As Corny pulled out a pen with which to sign the card, he said, "Oh, I hope you've got a nice, dry bed."

"And a drugstore open. I have to get a new eyelash and some tape for my ankles," Amber added.

"Excuse me, Mr. Collins?" the clerk asked.

Corny looked up. "Yes?" he asked.

"This reservation is for October 12th."

"Yes, that's right," Corny said. "Why?"

"This is October 13th."

Corny's face dropped. "Don't tell me you didn't hold the room," Corny said.

"We always hold the room unless otherwise indicated. As you can see, your reservation plainly says, 'hold until ten o'clock.' It's now five minutes after three. Now, if you had wired or called…"

"I couldn't wire or call, I was busy circling and running," Corny replied, starting to get angry again.

"Like I said before, we hold the rooms unless otherwise indicated. As you can see, you asked that the reservation be held until ten o' clock."

"That's because I thought I'd be here by eight o' clock! I didn't know that I'd be flying to Boston, then have to take a train to New York, then have to walk through a hurricane from Grand Central Station!" Corny yelled.

"And we didn't expect this strike," the clerk replied calmly. "Now, if you'd said 'hold until arrival,' or if you'd wired or called…"

"You've said all that already. Meanwhile, here I am dripping all over their lobby with an olive pit in my stomach and my fiancée is standing here with weak ankles! Now, if you don't give us a room, I'll slap a lawsuit on you so fast it'll make your head spin!" Corny roared.

"Would you wait here for a moment?" the clerk asked.

"Where am I gonna go during a monsoon?" Corny asked. "My fiancée is in very bad shape. Tell him," Corny said.

Amber looked at Corny for a second, then turned to the clerk and said, "I'm in very bad shape!"

The clerk nodded and walked into a back room.

"Don't worry, they've gotta give us a room," Corny told Amber.

"I hope so," Amber replied.

Just then, the clerk came out of the back. "Mr. Collins, I just spoke to Mr. Howard, the assistant manager."

"Oh, it's Howard, huh?" Corny asked.

"He's extremely sorry about this misunderstanding. Unfortunately, we don't have a single room available. However, we do have two airline pilots that check out at seven a.m. You can have their room," the clerk said.

"Seven o'clock? I won't be dry until eight!" Corny yelled. He took Amber's hand and said, "Come on!" Corny dragged Amber around a corner, out of sight from the front desk.

"Well, now what are we going to do, Corny? Why did you say 'let's go'?" Amber asked.

"To show them I mean business! Just because we're from out of town doesn't mean they can just shove us around!" Corny whispered angrily.

"The clerk's right, Corny. We should have wired or called," Amber said.

Corny whispered angrily, "How can you stand here dripping all over their lobby with weak ankles and no luggage and tell me that it's my fault that we don't have a room?"

"It's not your fault. I'm just suggesting that we sit in the lobby until those pilots leave and take their room. What other choice do we have?" Amber asked.

"Mr. Collins, can I see you for a moment, please?" the clerk's voice came from the desk.

"See, what did I tell you? When you call their bluff, they work pretty fast, don't they?" Corny said as he took Amber's hand and walked up to the front desk.

The clerk held out a phone to Corny. "This is for you," he said.

Corny took the receiver and said, "Hello?"

"Mr. Collins? This is the lost and found at the Boston Airport," a voice came over the line.

"Did you find the luggage?" Corny asked excitedly.

"Yes, sir, we did. They're in Baltimore."

"Baltimore?!" Corny yelled. "What are they doing there?"

"As far as we can tell, there was a power outage before your bags were checked onto the plane, and your bags were still on the conveyor belt when your plane left. We going to put them on a DC-8 on its way into New York, and they should be at your hotel before eight."

"Oh, good, I hope they enjoy the flight, because I won't be at my hotel at eight because my hotel gave away my room!" Corny yelled. "Now, I want our bags on a plane right now, and I want them right here, where I am, not where I was before you didn't get me there! Understand?"

"Mr. Collins, we're doing all we can, but New York is still fogged in!" the voice said.

"You flew me through the fog, and now you're worried about two suitcases? All I can say that I better have my bags soon, or you're gonna be sorry!" Corny yelled as he slammed the receiver down. He grabbed Amber's hand. "Come on, Amber."

He took Amber around the corner and walked her to a pay phone. Corny whipped open the phone book and flipped the pages to the hotels.

"There's gotta be a room somewhere in this city," Corny said as he ran his finger down the pages. "You got a dime?"

"I told you, in the little gray suitcase," Amber said.

"Save your money," a low voice came from behind them. Amber and Corny turned to see a tall man in a black hat and raincoat behind them. "There's not a room to be had. You folks from out of town?"

"Yes," Corny replied. "Why?"

"How long do you need a room for?" the man asked.

"Just overnight, I have a big business meeting in the morning. Why?" Corny asked.

"A friend of mine owns a hotel two blocks from here. Nothing fancy, but it's clean. If you want a room, it'll cost you ten," the man said.

"Ten dollars? That's pretty good," Corny said.

"The ten is for me, the room'll cost you twenty," the man said.

"Where's the hotel?" Corny asked.

"I don't see the ten dollars," the man replied.

Corny handed over a ten-dollar bill and said, "All right, where is it?"

"The hotel Ashmont, thirty-sixth street. Tell Dave that Murray sent you," the man said as he started to walk away.

"Wait a minute," Corny said, and the man turned around. "I wasn't born yesterday. How do we know that there will be a room, or a Dave, or a hotel Ashmont?"

"Nobody trusts anyone anymore. All right, come on, I'll take you myself," the man said.

"Well…" Corny said.

"Look, if you want the ten dollars back, it's no skin off my nose. I don't have a big business meeting in the morning," the man said.

"Well…all right," Corny said as he took Amber's hand and followed the tall man out of the hotel.

As they were walking down the rainy street with the man, Corny said apologetically, "This is very kind of you, I'm sorry I was suspicious before."

"We've had a terrible time, but we really appreciate this," Amber said. "You're the first good thing that's happened to us."

Suddenly, the tall man pulled a gun out of his pocket and said, "Put your hands up."

"Oh, my God!" Amber yelled.

"Get against that wall," the man said.

Corny and Amber got against the wall, Amber yelling the whole time, "It's a holdup! We're in a holdup!"

"Where's your wallet?" the man asked Corny.

"Oh, I don't carry a wallet, I never have!" Corny said.

"Oh, just give him your wallet, Corny!" Amber yelled. "It's in his left pocket," Amber told the man. Corny gave Amber a look.

"Okay, now just start walking in front of me. Keep your hands up, and don't turn around," the man said.

"Yes, we'll do that. We won't turn around," Amber said.

"Wait, where are you going?" Corny asked, looking behind him.

"You're turning, Corny, he said not to turn around!" Amber said.

Corny looked behind him again. "He's gone!" he yelled.

Amber turned around. "A holdup! We were in a holdup, Corny! We might have been killed!" Amber yelled.

"At least that would have been quick! Now we're gonna starve to death! What did you have to mention the wallet for?" Corny yelled.

"Would you rather have been found dead in the gutter?" Amber asked.

"You know how much I've got in my pocket? Four cents! Two cents for you and two cents for me! You had to mention the wallet!"

"Oh, well, let's not worry about that now, Corny, let's just find someplace to spend the night," Amber said as she stared across the street. "What about Central Park?"

"Central Park at night?" Corny asked.

"Well, we don't have much choice, do we, Corny?" Amber replied.

Once they had crossed the street, Amber noticed something.

"Oh, no!" Amber yelled.

"What?"

"I lost my shoe while we were crossing the street!"

"Where is it?" Corny asked.

Amber looked around, then said, "Out there, where a car just ran over it."

Corny walked out into the street and picked up the now flattened shoe. He brought it over to Amber.

"Well, the heel was broken, anyway," Corny said.

"I'm wearing the one with the broken heel," Amber replied.

Corny sighed. "Well, now what do we do?" Corny asked.

"Well, I'm open for suggestions, Corny," Amber snapped.

"We can't stay here," Corny said.

Amber nudged him. "That's a good suggestion," she said. "Come on," she said as she took off her other shoe.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, walking around with the dark with no shoes on. You're liable to step on something," Corny said.

"Well, I'll face that problem when I come to it-" Amber cut off.

"What's the problem?" Corny asked.

"I just came to it," Amber replied.

"Oh, I thought that would happen," Corny said, exasperated. "What is it?"

"It's sharp, pointy and painful," Amber said.

Corny picked up the object. "It's the flip part of a flip-top can!" Corny yelled as he threw it. "The slobs in this city!"

"Is it bleeding?" Amber asked as she lifted her foot.

Corny looked at it. "Oh, a little bit."

"It's bleeding!" Amber said.

"Just a little bit," Corny replied.

"But it's bleeding!" Amber yelled.

"Yes, it's bleeding!" Corny snapped.

"Oh, my God, it's bleeding. Oh, well, let's go," Amber said as she started to walk.

"Wait a minute. You can't walk with a bleeding foot," Corny said.

"Well, I would fly, but New York is fogged in," Amber said sarcastically.

"There's no need for sarcasm," Corny said.

"Well, there's no need for bleeding, either, but they both came out," Amber said. "Come on, let's find a tree to sleep under."

"Okay," Corny said as he picked up Amber.

"Put me down!" Amber said.

"If you bleed, you'll get an infection and you'll have to go to the hospital, and the hospital's probably on strike like everything else," Corny said. He carried her to a tree and put her down.

"What if we're robbed?" Corny asked.

"We've only got four cents to lose," Amber replied.

"But what if it rains again?" Corny asked.

"I'm so wet now, it can only make me drier," Amber replied. "Just lie down and let's try and get some sleep."

Corny lay down reluctantly and fell asleep immediately. Amber closed her eyes for a while, and when she opened them again, it was to see a sight of a dark man in a cape and hat standing over them.

"Oh, my God…"

**This chapter is long, but that's okay, right?**


	4. The Park

The sun shone in Corny's eyes, causing him to open his eyelids, only to blink several times before his eyes became accustomed to the bright day. Corny tried to move his neck, only to have his head slammed back into the grass, caused by excruciating pain in his neck.

"Oh, my neck! Ow! Oh, I can't move my neck!" Corny groaned as he moved his head, listening to muscles pop in his neck, each pop bringing more pain.

It was then that he realized that Amber was gone. Corny got to his feet and began walking, looking for Amber.

"Amber? Amber! Amber, where the hell are you?" Corny yelled.

All of a sudden, over a large field, he heard Amber's voice come in faintly. Corny turned and saw Amber running across the field toward him, waving a small box in the air.

"I found breakfast, Corny!" Amber called. "I found a box of Cracker Jack on a bench!"

Corny began running toward Amber. Amber, still waving the box, kept running toward Corny.

As Corny ran, he became aware of a barking sound, starting off faint, then getting louder and louder. Corny turned to see a huge dog running toward Amber. Once the dog got to Amber, he started leaping toward the Cracker Jack in Amber's hand. Amber tried valiantly to keep the dog from getting the Cracker Jack, but the dog eventually took it and took off running.

"Oh, shit!" Corny yelled as he grabbed Amber's hand and the two took off after the dog.

As they ran, Corny and Amber kept shouting at the dog:

"Go on, dog, get out of that box! Get out!"

"You can't have it! We need it more than you do!"

"Here, dog! Come here!"

The dog eventually stopped in an underpass and started eating the Cracker Jack. However, when the dog noticed that Corny and Amber were closing in on him, the dog took off, leaving the ripped-up box of Cracker Jack behind.

Amber picked up the box as Corny yelled, "That dog should have been on a leash, there's no excuse for that!"

Amber walked up next to Corny, holding the box, and said, "I would've caught him, but I can't run in your shoes."

Corny nodded, trying to catch his breath as he and Amber walked over to a flight of stairs that were nearby and sat down.

Amber shook the box. "You know, there's still some left, honey. Why don't you have it?" she asked, offering the box to Corny.

Corny slowly took the box as he said, "Are you sure it's all right? I mean, you found it on a bench and a dog's been at it…"

"Oh, yeah, it's fine. It's got dextrose and corn syrup and niacin, and besides, you need the energy. Go on, eat it," Amber said.

Corny poured out a handful and gave it to Amber.

"Thank you," Amber said. Amber started to eat.

"You know, I was just thinking," Corny said, as he started to eat the Cracker Jack, "You could have been having your breakfast in bed this morning. You could have been having orange juice and eggs and sausages and hot buttered toast with marmalade, and instead, you're eating stale Cracker Jack that a dog left in an underpass in Central Park at exactly…" Corny looked at his wrist, only to notice that something was missing. "Where's my watch?"

"Your what?" Amber asked as she ate.

"My watch. Where is it?" Corny asked as he felt inside his pockets.

"Don't get excited, Corny," Amber said.

"I'm not getting excited, where's my watch?" Corny said, still searching.

"It all happened so quickly," Amber said.

Corny stopped searching and looked at Amber. He asked, "What happened so quickly?"

"You said you wouldn't get excited," Amber replied.

"That was before you said it happened so quickly. What happened so quickly? Where's my watch?" Corny asked, getting a little frantic.

Amber sighed, then said, "I gave it to a man in a black cape while you were sleeping."

Corny just stared at Amber for a minute, then said, with kind of an angry tone, "You gave my $300 watch to a man in a black cape?! Why?"

"Because it looked like he had a knife under the black cape! I told you, it all happened so quickly," Amber replied.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Corny asked.

"Because I didn't want you to get knifed by a man in a black cape!" Amber answered.

Corny stood up, looked at Amber, and said angrily, "You mean I got mugged while I was sleeping by a man in a cape? I don't believe it!" Corny turned away from Amber.

Amber stood up and said, "You got mugged by a man with a raincoat, you believe that, don't you?"

Corny turned back around and asked, "He didn't ask for any money?"

"Well, he didn't say anything, he just took the watch and ran," Amber replied.

"You mean he didn't ask you for the watch, you just gave it to him?!" Corny said angrily.

"I had to, he had a knife under the cape!" Amber yelled.

"Did you see the knife?" Corny asked.

"A man doesn't stand over you at four in the morning in a cape if he doesn't have a knife, does he?" Amber retorted.

"I don't know! It never came up before!" Corny responded.

Amber threw up her hands and said, "I don't want to discuss it!" Amber took off Corny's shoes and threw them on the ground. "Here are your shoes."

"You wear them," Corny said, not looking at Amber.

"I don't have an interview at nine o' clock. You wear your shoes!" Amber replied.

"I don't have a watch, I don't know when nine o' clock is! I don't need the shoes!" Corny said angrily.

"I don't want to wear or discuss your shoes!" Amber said angrily.

The two just stood there in silence for a while, Corny not looking at Amber and slowly chewing the Cracker Jack and Amber just standing there with her arms folded.

The silence held until Amber said, "Oh, Corny, I'm sorry. I guess I must be a little irritable. I am sorry about your watch. I was thinking, maybe we could go to the Travelers' Aid Society. They lend money to people who are stranded. We could find out where the office is, and we could go right over there! What do you think, Corny?"

Corny just stood there. He had stopped chewing.

"Corny?" Amber said. "What do you think?"

Corny stayed silent for a second, then said, "I think I just busted a tooth."

"Oh!" Amber said, walking up to Corny. "On the Cracker Jack?"

"I must have swallowed the prize," Corny answered. "It felt like a little tin toy. It's right in the front of my mouth. Well, there goes my smile!"

"Let me look!" Amber said, trying to get Corny to open his mouth. "Maybe it's not busted!" Corny opened his mouth, and Amber said, "You're right, it's busted."

"Well, there's no way I'm gonna get that job now, so come on, let's get walking," Corny said, grabbing Amber's arm.

As they were walking, Corny said, "Look at the sun. It must be seven, seven-thirty. I'll never make it."

Amber suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute."

Corny pointed at the sun and said, "We can't stop now, look at the time!"

"It sounds like somebody crying," Amber said.

"Well, it's none of our business. Come on," Corny said, trying to pull Amber along.

"But maybe somebody's in trouble!" Amber said.

"Maybe it's the man in the black cape, he doesn't like my watch. Come on, let's go!" Corny said, trying to pull Amber.

"Oh, Corny!" Amber suddenly cried.

"What?" Corny replied.

"Look!"

Corny turned to see a small, dark-haired boy sitting on a bench all alone, crying softly.

"He's all alone, maybe he's lost," Amber said.

"Maybe he's not lost, maybe he's just alone," Corny answered.

"He wouldn't be crying, I'm gonna go see," Amber said, and with that, she started running toward the bench, saying, "Oh, here I come, sweetheart!" She sat down next to the little boy and said, "What's the matter? Why are you crying? Where's your mommy and daddy? Where do you live?"

The little boy said something in Spanish in response.

Amber looked up at Corny and said, "He doesn't speak English."

"Well, then, there's nothing we can do, he'll have to wait until some Spanish-speaking people come by!" Corny replied.

"Oh, Corny, he looks so hungry and frightened. You've got to do something!" Amber said.

"Me?! I chased a dog through Central Park to get half a box of Cracker Jack! How am I gonna feed a strange mouth?!" Corny yelled.

"Oh, that's right, become like everybody else in this city, don't care about anybody but yourself," Amber replied. "Go! You'll be late for your appointment! Oh, I'll stay here!"

"Tell him where you slept last night. Tell him what you had for breakfast, see how safe he feels!" Corny yelled.

"I've never seen you like this before, Corny," Amber said.

"I've never seen you in my shoes before, but we're in trouble! I've got no money, no luggage, and no future unless I'm in that office at nine o' clock this morning, this is no time to be a foster parent!" Corny yelled.

"Well, I'm not going to leave him," Amber replied.

Corny just stood there, fuming for a while. However, he cooled down, and an idea came to him. He walked over, sat next to Amber, and said, "See if he's got any money on him."

"What?" Amber asked.

"See if he's got any money. If he does, then we can call Travelers' Aid and they can send somebody to take care of all of us," Corny replied.

"You want me to look through his pockets for money? A poor little Spanish boy?" Amber said, shocked.

"Oh, fine, I'll do it," Corny said as he got up.

"Suppose somebody sees you?" Amber asked.

"Oh, well, I'll just explain that the boy was lost, and we've only got four cents, and…" Corny trailed off as Amber gave him a look. "I see what you mean. I'll do it in the bushes."

Corny took the boy's hand and walked him into the bushes. Amber just sat there, listening to Corny saying, "Hi, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just gonna look for some money, okay, amigo? I'm Corny, and I'm your friend!"

Amber jumped as another booming voice sounded, saying, "What're you doin' to that boy?"

Amber listened as Corny said, "Oh, I didn't see you there! You see I… Well, I mean that I…"

"Officer! Officer!" the booming voice screamed.

"Wha-? Office-! No, please don't! No!"

All of a sudden, Corny burst out of the bushes, took Amber's hand and said, "Amber, run!"

"What?" Corny asked.

"Amber, just do what I tell you, run!" Corny said. The two started running from the police officer on horseback that was chasing them, the officer they lost when they jumped into a nearby clump of trees.

**This chapter is shorter than the others, and I'm sorry about that, but I felt that this was a good place to end the chapter!**


	5. The Return

**Hi! Sorry I haven't been around for a while, I've been pretty busy, but I've come into about three weeks of complete free time, so I'm back!**

Corny and Amber lay low, in the trees, without saying a word, until the police officer had finally given up on them and rode away.

"Why couldn't we stop and explain?" Amber asked.

"Explain?!" Corny yelled. "Explain what I'm doing in the bushes with a little boy, with my hands down his pockets? They'd give me ten to twenty years! I begged you to leave that kid alone!"

"I did the right thing," Amber defended herself. "That child was scared to death."

"Well, right now he's probably eating an ice cream cone, and I'm being hunted!" Corny yelled.

Corny stood there for a little while, fuming, not looking at Amber, then he turned toward Amber and said, "Come on, let's go out the west side."

"I'm exhausted, Corny. I can't move," Amber replied.

"You chased a dog and beat a horse. You're stronger than you think," Corny said.

"No, Corny. Let's just rest for a while," Amber said.

"No, we've gotta keep moving!" Corny snapped.

"There's that tone of voice again!" Amber yelled. "Ever since they lost our luggage you have been sarcastic with me, and irritable, and insensitive and intolerant!" As Amber said the last word, she smacked her right hand into her left hand. Amber looked at her hand in shock.

"Oh, my god! My ring just came off!" Amber cried. Amber got on her hands and knees and started looking for it.

"Now?! Now you lost your ring?" Corny yelled.

Amber looked up at Corny and said sarcastically, "I'm sorry, next time I'll do it when you're not in such a hurry! Now, come on, help me find it!"

"How can it just slip off?" Corny yelled.

"I haven't eaten, my fingers are thinner," Amber replied.

Corny reluctantly got to his knees and started to look for the ring, grumbling the whole time.

Amber suddenly looked at Corny. "Go on, go to your appointment! I'll stay here until I find the ring! I'll stay here and scrape and dig down to the bone until I find it!" she yelled.

Corny sighed. "Amber, it's just a band of gold. If I get the job, I'll buy you a thousand just like it. Just forget it!"

Amber looked up at Corny, shocked. She yelled, "Forget it, Corny? Forget my engagement ring? How can you say such a thing? How can you be so inhuman? It's my engagement ring. I don't want another one! I want the one you put on my finger!"

"Relax, Amber, I didn't mean anything by it!" Corny yelled.

"It's the only thing I own that I really care about, Corny," Amber said. "I'm not just gonna forget about it."

"Wait a minute," Corny said as he got up and picked up something shiny. He handed it to Amber. "I've been kneeling on your ring."

"Well, thank you!" Amber said as she put the ring on her finger. "Will you look at that? Well, I just feel better already!"

"Well, let's go," Corny said as he took Amber's hand.

A while later, Corny and Amber left the park. Corny sighed. He was basically carrying Amber. Corny looked around for a second, then gasped.

"A bus! The transit strike must have ended! Come on, Amber!" Corny said, pulling Amber toward the bus.

"But Corny, we have no money!" Amber replied.

"They've gotta take us anyway!" Corny cried as they entered the bus. The bus went about another half a block before it stopped again, letting Corny and Amber off.

"You should have sat down, like I told you," Corny told Amber. "He wouldn't have had the nerve to kick us off then. A yelling man is one thing, a sitting woman is another."

Amber was staring at Corny. "Corny, we've got to do something. We've got to get to the hotel so we can get some food and sleep, and you can get to your meeting."

Corny nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's see if we can flag somebody down." Corny ran out into the street in front of a long, black limo. The limo screeched to a halt. Corny ran to the back of the limo. The back door's window rolled down, revealing a tall man in a suit, tie, and black hat. He had dark skin and a mustache.

"Excuse me, sir, but my fiancée and I are in trouble. Could you give us a lift to the Waldorf-Astoria?" Corny asked.

The man stared at him for a second, then smiled and said, "Hop in."

Corny and Amber looked at each other and grinned, then they both jumped into the limo.

"Thank you, sir," Amber said.

"Yes, thank you. We're from out of town, and we've had the most terrible time," Corny added. "We're Corny Collins and Amber Von Tussle, we're from Baltimore."

"My name is Manuel Vargas," the man replied. "I'm also from out of town, I'm the new Cuban delegate to the United Nations."

"Imagine that!" Amber said. "The first person nice to us is another out-of-towner!"

"My office is at 66th and Park. We'll drop you off at the Waldorf on the way," Vargas said.

"Thank you, sir," Corny said.

A few minutes later, Corny and Amber walked up to the front desk and walked up to one of the clerks.

"Look, you, I better not have any trouble," Corny said. "I'm Corny Collins, you gave away our room last night."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Collins. They told us to expect you," the clerk said. "Your room is number 573, and your luggage is waiting in your room,"

Corny grinned. "Thank you," Corny said as he and Amber hurried up to the room.

It was a couple of hours later. Amber was soaking her feet in the tub in the room when Corny came in.

"Guess what, Amber?" Corny said happily. "They're crazy about me, broken tooth and all! They want me to be a host of a new national dance show, for double the salary I'm making now! They'll find us a penthouse apartment in the best neighborhood in the city, season tickets to the Yankees games and a season's worth of free Broadway tickets!"

"What did you say?" Amber replied.

"What do you think I said?" Corny asked.

"I was hoping you'd say no," Amber replied. "I was hoping you'd say that you and your fiancée don't belong in New York. You wanted to live your life in Baltimore, that you never wanted to see another big city. That you don't want to live here, or Chicago or San Francisco, or any other place where people have to live on top of each other, with no room to walk or breathe or smile. That you don't want to step on garbage in the streets, or have to give away watches to men in black capes. That you were through traveling on trains with no seats or food, on planes with no place to land and no luggage waiting for you. That you wished you never came, and the only thing you wanted to do was to come back to your hotel, pick up your fiancée, fly home and live happily ever after. That's what I was hoping you would say, Corny."

Corny looked at her for a second before he said, "That's funny. That's exactly what I said."

Amber smiled at Corny, Corny smiled back, they leaned toward each other and shared a long, passionate kiss.

"What would you like to drink with your dinner?" the stewardess asked during the flight back home.

"Oh, no dinner, thank you," Corny replied. "My fiancée and I are going to have a big dinner when we land."

The stewardess nodded, turned and walked away.

"I wonder how long before we land," Corny said as he got up. "I think I'll go ask the stewardess."

As Corny made his way up to the stewardess' station, he bumped into a man standing in the aisle. "Excuse me, please," Corny said.

"Sit down," the man said as he spun around, holding a knife in his hand. "That goes for all the rest of you! Sit down and be quiet! This plane is going to Havana, Cuba!"

Corny turned around to see Amber, slumped in her seat, her face completely pale.

"Oh, my God…"


End file.
